Past projects 3
Art Kits for Special Needs
Funded Sep 17, 2020My students are so very fortunate to have received personal art kits created with your kind and generous donations. Your gifts have made it possible for them to have art supplies packaged so that they can use them in school and also ready to take home if and when they must switch to remote learning. Having everything they need with them ensures that they will always have the opportunity and tools with which to create.
Not only are my students now able to safely use art supplies without concern of cross contamination, but your gifts have created children that are more responsible and caring about the materials they use, and have fostered in them a pride of ownership, as they belong to them solely. This sense of ownership has, in turn, made them much more aware and thoughtful in their approach to their work.
During this time of uncertainty and sadness for so many, you have been a bright light in the lives of my children and shown them how much people care and come together in times of need. I hope that your example remains with them for years to come and one day, when they are able, that they too will be a child's bright light.
Wishing you and yours every blessing of the holiday season, however you celebrate,”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Seminara
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose 20th Anniversary Fund and 20 other donors.Art at the Heart of Learning
Funded May 29, 2020Your generosity to our students has enabled them to continue learning and creating, even during these unprecedented circumstances. The events of this past spring not only brought much to a slow crawl as we grappled with how to keep the learning going, but it had a profound impact on my special needs students who now were learning online, without their teacher in person. The social emotional effects of the pandemic have been deep and far reaching. Art at the heart and soul of the person became all the more important as it moved from being a way of connecting all the dots of the curriculum, supporting the ways they all learn, and shifting ever more heavily to its true purpose in humanity - to being the vehicle by which individuals make sense of and understand their world. The therapeutic aspect of art, its ability to help with healing, became more necessary than ever.
We have been able to continue working with sketchbook journals and various drawing tools, documenting the many changes and new ways of daily living, as well as the varied experiences that they have had. To say they were overjoyed is an understatement! They and I are so grateful.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Seminara
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 14 other donors.A Place for Everything
Funded Sep 22, 2017Our building is quite old and the room used for art was not originally built for that purpose, so outfitting the room with proper storage for art has been a challenge from the beginning. For the longest time, keeping all the student work filed in individual portfolios and organized by class was a chore, one that the students could never do independently. Student portfolios are kept in class portfolios and lacking large flat paper storage or even hanging storage, these were always propped up against a wall or file cabinet. They were forever sliding onto the floor creating chaos and a potential trip hazard. Together they were heavy to move and difficult for the students to access. Part of their required learning's to maintain portfolios of their work - independently. This was impossible. Often work would get lost or misfiled, or as the folders flopped over with weight and time with time, bent and sometimes torn. I had tried so many solutions to this problem, but none ever seemed to work for long. Once I found the Vertical Drying Rack in a catalog, I knew that it could be the answer.
The students were very curious as to the contents of the big box in the art room and were excited when I told them what it was and how it would help us make our art room like a real art studio. Class by class they helped reorganize and put away their work, The fact that it has partitions has meant that I could designate each partition to a class and taking out one class portfolio would not cause all the others to splay all over the floor. Additionally, the rack has locking wheels, which enable us to roll it out of the way or out of the room for spring cleaning with ease. Also, students are now able to easily access their individual portfolios with increased ease. It is roomy enough that larger pieces, like class projects and small murals, can also fit in the designated areas, so truly, there is "A Place For Everything"!
This has eliminated so many issues we have had with storage and organization, as well as freed up some of my cleaning/organizing time so that I can devote more to my special needs students and they can gain independence, which makes them very proud and goes far towards building their self esteem. They can now be my helpers and they love that!
We are so very grateful for the support that you have given our room. When we were making thank you cards
one student said, "These are really good people if they give stuff to kids they don't know. Maybe they like art!" Another said, "Or maybe they like kids!" And still others marveled at the generosity and kindness of strangers, a beautiful thing in today's climate. A million thanks to and for you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Seminara